Fussbook ?

I wish I were this geek who thought about it first, I'd be so rich. Two major news about this social networking site these last days : Microsoft invested a few bucks in the company. $240 million. But we should be careful with the figures : Facebook isn't valued $15 billion, the two companies just extended their partnership (which was already up and running) 'til 2011 (read it here). They've also launched their own advertising business (here), opening a door to a 55 million users market. Sounds interesting.

Facts :
- 55 million is only 1/4 of myspace users. Even if they made it really fast (average 250,000 new users per day), it might not grow this fast forever.
- 7000 applications : how many relevant applications ? (I mean, really useful)
- friends : thought it would be different from myspace. But it just turns exactly the same way (going to the same school or reading someone's blog makes him a friend. There might be something here in the difference between the meaning of "friend" through the cultures, continental europe vs. USA).
- advertising business : this might be the "no-return" point for Facebook. Nobody (on the users side) wanted advertising business in here. Soon you'll get indirect spam from your own friends telling you that they prefer this brand and not this other one. They call it social ads, I call it ads.

I don't care about the big amounts of money here. I think about the fact that it is just impossible to get something really advertising-free (or business-free or whatever you call it) when it comes to specific audiences and large groups of people. This was one of the web 2.0 promises. This is sad.

Thought it would be the next big thing, but but I don't really believe in Facebook now :(